Houston prosecutor says he’s ready to charge ICE agents in fatal shooting

The July 7 fatal shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston is under parallel criminal investigations by Harris County and federal authorities. Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare said his office is prepared to bring criminal charges against federal immigration agents if the shooting is found to involve wrongdoing. The shooting took place in Magnolia Park and the East End during a targeted enforcement operation.

Teare said his office is running a parallel criminal investigation, but Harris County does not have the same access to evidence it would have in a routine officer-involved shooting. The officers were not wearing body cameras, federal authorities have not identified the shooter, and much of the material remains under federal control. The Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General is leading the federal inquiry, while FBI Houston is separately reviewing whether there was an assault on a federal officer.

The account of what happened remains sharply disputed. DHS has said the officers were looking for a different person when they stopped the van and later said Salgado Araujo was not the intended target. But the three men riding with him, through their attorney, say he was shot through a passenger-side window and that no officer was directly in front of the van. They say Salgado Araujo never threatened the agents. Teare has urged witnesses and anyone with photos, video or other evidence to come forward, and Harris County officials are seeking funding for an independent investigation after federal agencies have not shared key information.

Salgado Araujo was 52. His family says he had lived in the United States for more than 35 years and was close to obtaining legal status. His son, Ronaldo Salgado, said his father spent 35 years building hundreds of houses in Houston so his three sons could go to college. Four Houston-area Democratic members of Congress have called for an independent investigation.

Teare said he has also been in contact with prosecutors in Minnesota who are investigating January shootings involving federal agents.